Thin Films and Interfaces
A section of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).
Section Information
The use of nanometer to micrometer thickness thin film materials is widespread for technological applications, spanning from electronics through medicine. Thin film materials are able to exhibit a greater number of vastly different structural, chemical, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties compared to their corresponding bulk counterparts due to the choice of substrate or underlying material, the material deposition and fabrication process, and the resulting variations in crystal phase, disorder and defects within poly-/nano-crystalline and amorphous materials, strain, and composition. The very nature of thin films involves the formation of interfaces, including that with the substrate, underlying or overlying layers, and/or the ambient. These interfaces and interfacial regions may exhibit additional variations due to confinement, bonding configurations, chemical composition, exposure to ambient, physical mixing, and the morphology present. To enhance our understanding of the nature of thin films and interfaces, topics in this section include but are not limited to:
- Materials Fabrication and Modeling:
- Thin film growth:
- Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE);
- Physical vapor deposition (PVD) and Sputtering;
- Pulsed laser deposition (PLD);
- Thermal and electron beam evaporation;
- Atomic layer deposition (ALD);
- Chemical vapor deposition (CVD);
- Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD);
- Solution methods and hybrid approaches;
- Material post-deposition preparation, annealing, etching, and chemical treatments;
- Theoretical and computational modeling of surfaces and interfaces.
- Characterization and Process–Property Relationships:
- Identification of links between measured thin film and interface structural, chemical, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties with variations in fabrication conditions;
- Epitaxial layers, nanocrystalline and polycrystalline materials, and amorphous films;
- High surface area systems, including colloids, nanoparticles, grain boundaries, engineered thin films;
- Surface science of catalysis, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis;
- Mechanics and nanomechanics of thin layers;
- Thin film growth mechanisms;
- In situ measurements and surface-sensitive measurements;
- Condensed matter thin film behavior.
- Device Applications:
- Impact of thin film and interface properties on functionality for electronic, optical, opto-electronic, photovoltaic, display, sensing, functional coating (metallurgical, protective, and hard layers; metallic, inorganic, organic, and composite coatings; superhydrophobic surfaces), and biological/biomedical applications (Langmuir–Blodgett, biological, related films).
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Preparation and Properties of Thin Films (Deadline: 10 June 2023)
- Development and Application of Novel Membranes (Deadline: 10 June 2023)
- Advances in Coatings Prepared by Deposition: Microstructure, Properties and Applications (Deadline: 20 June 2023)
- Multifunctional Coatings: From Protective to Bio-Applications (Deadline: 20 June 2023)
- Advanced Properties and Characterization of Epitaxial Thin Films (Deadline: 20 June 2023)
- Structural, Morphological, and Optical Properties of Functional Thin Films (Deadline: 20 June 2023)
- The Advanced Synthesis of New High-Performance Coatings (Deadline: 30 June 2023)
- Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Intermetallics, Ceramic and Cermet Coatings (Deadline: 30 June 2023)
- Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes (Deadline: 10 July 2023)
- Advanced Thin Films and 2D Materials: Mechanism, Fabrication, Characterization and Application (Deadline: 10 July 2023)
- Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Characterization and Applications of Multilayers and Thin Films (Deadline: 20 July 2023)
- Research on Tribological Coatings (Deadline: 20 July 2023)
- Advances in the Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Polymeric Surfaces (Deadline: 20 July 2023)
- Atomic Layer Deposition: From Thin Films to Nanostructured Materials (Deadline: 10 August 2023)
- Feature Papers in Thin Films and Interfaces (Deadline: 20 August 2023)
- Design, Fabrication and Application of Diamond-Based Coatings (Deadline: 20 August 2023)
- Functional Nanomaterials and Their Ferroelectric, Magnetic or Optical Behavior (Volume II) (Deadline: 20 August 2023)
- Advances in Optoelectronic Functional Thin Films (Deadline: 20 August 2023)
- Thin-Film Transistors: Devices for the Next Generation Large Area Electronics (Deadline: 20 August 2023)
- Advances in Thin Film Technology and Laser Processing (Deadline: 20 August 2023)
- Characterization of Thin Films and Superlattice Using Thermal Wave Methods (Deadline: 10 September 2023)
- Semiconductor Material Growth in Thin Films and Its Model (Deadline: 10 September 2023)
- Wear and Corrosion Resistance Technology of Thin Film Materials (Deadline: 10 September 2023)
- Material Surfaces and Interactions: Structure, Properties, Processes and Applications (Deadline: 20 September 2023)
- Advances in Thin Films Materials: Properties, Characterization, Physical Vapor Deposition and Application (Deadline: 20 September 2023)
- Advanced Multifunctional Coatings for New Applications (Deadline: 20 September 2023)
- Novel Thermal Barrier Coating Materials (Deadline: 20 September 2023)
- Thin, Ultra-Thin Films and 2D Materials (Deadline: 20 September 2023)
- Surface Modifications and Coatings: Processing, Characterization, and Applications (Deadline: 10 October 2023)
- Advanced Thin Films: Technology, Properties and Multiple Applications (Deadline: 10 October 2023)
- Graphene and Other 2D Materials Integration in Photovoltaic Devices (Deadline: 20 October 2023)
- Processing, Characterization, and Applications of Thin Films and Coatings (Deadline: 20 October 2023)
- Advances in Metal Oxide Semiconductor Thin Films and Devices (Deadline: 20 October 2023)
- Thin Films and Coatings for Energy Applications (Deadline: 20 October 2023)
- Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Techniques in Materials Science for Electronic Devices Applications (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- One- and Two-Dimensional Architectures for Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices (Deadline: 10 November 2023)
- Electrochemical Deposition and Characterization of Thin Films (Deadline: 20 November 2023)
- Optical, Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Thin Films (Deadline: 20 November 2023)
- Fabrication, Characterization, and Application of Coatings and Thin Films (Volume II) (Deadline: 20 November 2023)
- Electrical and Optical Properties of Metal Oxide Thin Films (Deadline: 10 December 2023)
- Advances in Thin-Film Deposition via Plasma-Assisted and Pulsed Laser Techniques (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Metal-Oxide Thin Films and Nanostructured Films: Focus on Energy Applications (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Friction, Corrosion and Protection of Material Surfaces (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Films, Coatings and Layers Fabricated by Magnetron Sputtering (MS) Technique and Their Applications (Deadline: 20 January 2024)
- Recent Advances and Emerging Challenges in Functional Coatings (Deadline: 20 January 2024)
- Advanced Two-Dimensional Materials: Characterization, Defect-Engineering, and Applications (Deadline: 10 February 2024)
- Advanced Materials in the Preparation of Edible Films and Coatings (Deadline: 20 February 2024)
- Advancements in Alternative Coatings to Electrodeposited Hard Chromium (Deadline: 20 March 2024)